


A Shadow of the Past

by OceanAmber



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-04-17 15:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4671257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OceanAmber/pseuds/OceanAmber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Thorin calls for a meeting of 13 dwarfs to reclaim their home, he never expected to see someone from his past. Someone he thought to be dead, but seeing as Smaug destroyed her home as well she has every right to come along on this journey. Of course, that doesn't mean he has to like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the hobbit Characters or anything.

Abigail rose early that morning to prepare for her hunting trip, she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail so that it would not get in her way. She paused for a moment to feel the pointed tips of her ears. She emerged from her room in tan colored breeches, a dark green tunic and sturdy leather, albeit worn, boots. Her mother sat in the dining room with her needle and thread laid out in front of her. She looked up from her work to look at Abigail, then frowned.

"Is it time again for another hunting trip?" She asked standing from her chair.

"Yes mother, we're running a low on food." Abigail said.

Abigail's mother sighed unhappily then stood, going to the kitchen to pack a bag of supplies. Abigail noticed that she was packing a little more than was strictly needed for her two day trip but she knew that it would put her mother's mind more at ease so she didn't say anything about it. When she was finished she looked back at Abigail.

"I miss the time when your brother lived here with us." She said.

"Adam has made a good living in Dale, besides, I always was a better hunter than he." Abigail said with a smile.

Her mother smiled back at her in spite of herself, then pulled Abigail into a tight hug.

"I will see you in two days' time. And mother? Please don't worry about me." Abigail pleaded.

"That's a lot to ask of me but I will try my best." She replied.

And with that she took her things; the supplies, a small hunting knife that she kept secured to her belt and her bow, slinging them over her back. With one small glance back at her mother she left the small cottage and went west, towards the river.

*O*

The young dwarf prince paced impatiently around the throne room, waiting for his father to return with the answer from his grandfather. All he wanted to do was go to the city of Dale, never had he been that far away from the lonely mountains. He had never experienced the town that he could just make out if he squinted through his window. Thorin often wondered what it would be like to be there in the middle of a busy market day, to hear the singing and see peddlers like his father had described to him. He wanted to touch the fine silk, and taste the ale from a tavern. Just then the door opened and his father stepped into the room.

"Your grandfather agreed that it is time you have a chance to explore a little." His father said gruffly "But, you must take at least two guards with you, and you must be back by tomorrow night."

Thorin nodded, a little disappointed at these stipulations but if this was what it took then he would be happy to take the guards. He left the throne room to retrieve his sword from the armory and met the guards at the great door. Thorin strode forward confidently, even though he could feel the hard stare of his father at his back. In fact many of the dwarves he passed gave him strange looks, as if they could not understand why he wanted to leave these lovely mountains.

"Be careful Thorin." Balin said as they pasted each other "Enjoy yourself, but be careful."

Thorin thanked him for his concern and promised that he would be careful. Then they went on until they, at last, came to the large metal doors that lead to the world outside. Once the doors were opened he walked forward without a second glance at his home.

*O*

It was mid-afternoon when Abigail bent low to examine the rabbit trail that she had found. Upon further inspection she saw that this was a trail that many different animals used. She thought about laying a trap but thought better of it. One caught, struggling animal would be enough to ruin the entire trail. So instead she followed the trail through its bends and twists until she came across smaller track that the rabbits mostly used. She carefully set a few traps there then moved on further into the forest. Not long after that she found the signs of a ground pig that had passed by here not too long ago.

For the last four years Abigail had been the provider for her mother, so with much practice she was able to track the pig down within a few hours. The pig roamed around a small clearing nosing around in the dirt looking for editable roots. Abigail took an arrow and placed it on the string, taking a deep breath. She drew the bow back with practiced precision and loosed the arrow, it hit its mark. The animal felt no pain, of that she made sure. Abigail went forward to bless the animal for its sacrifice in her father's native tongue as she did for every kill.

"Goheno nin, Gurn glassui."

She gently removed the arrow from where it had imbedded itself in the creature. Glancing up she noticed that the sky was quickly darkening and if there was one thing Abigail knew about this forest it was that you should not be caught after dark without a fire. While this part of the forest was mostly calm, the occasional wolf pack or brown bear would wander through and a fire would serve to scare them away. So she set about gathering dry kindle, bark and rotten wood from fallen trees, half an hour later she had a small fire going. It was now almost completely dark and a chill was starting to settle over the land. Abigail huddled even closer to the fire, holding her hands out to keep the frost from my fingers. Soon after that she laid out her bed roll and covered herself in its blanket and fell asleep.

*O*

Thorin had nearly forgotten how beautiful things were out here. Indeed they were nothing compared to jewels or gold, but he found that nature held its own charm for him. The air was dry and warm, much unlike the cold moisture that he found in the deep caverns of the mountains. They followed the road until they were under the full cover of the trees and could no longer see Eredor.

Thorin glanced back at his guard whose eye's wandered the forest with suspicion. Thorin knew that neither one of them could understand why he wanted to leave the comforts of the mountains. But of course they didn't say anything to him for fear of offending an heir to the throne. The prince let out a quiet sigh, he knew that the title he held was sacred to his people but sometimes he wished had been born to a common blacksmith. At least then no one would be afraid to speak their mind to him or spare with him without letting him win. As it was the only men who would speak truthfully to Thorin were his father and his grandfather.

A while later the road the company was traveling became steeper and even narrower. It had been carved into a hillside in order to allow the traveler to reach the top of a cliff that would have been difficult to climb by itself. The two guards insisted that they go first just in case there happened to be an ambush at the top of the mountain. Thorin was skeptical but in order to avoid an argument he agreed. As they rose above the tree line Thorin was again struck by the beauty of this world that was so different from his own. Suddenly a flash of yellow color from down below caught his eye, he squinted his eyes and leaned forward slightly. What was that thing flying through the air?

"Prince Thorin!" One of the guards yelled.

But it was too late, the ground under Thorin's feet broke free from the pathway and while he tried to jump backwards he already knew that it would not work. The sensation of falling was a helpless one, for although his arms flailed about there was nothing he could ketch a hold of. He tucked his arms around his head and brought his legs in towards his chest in hopes of lessening the damage. He hit the ground hard, all the air in his lungs was expelled with great force, black spots danced around his vision. There was a sharp pain coming from his leg where he had landed on it.

"My Prince!?" Yelled the guards from above "Are you alright?"

It took Thorin a few moments to regain enough breath to reply.

"I'm fine." He called up.

There was a second of silence as the two exchanged looks trying to determine the best course of action.

"We'll back track the way we came then come and get you." One said.

"You will not. By the time you did that it would be dark, we would have no chance of finding each other then." Thorin gestured largely to the sun which was well past the halfway mark.

"Then what do you suggest sir?"

"You go on to Dale." He continued through the protests "I'll make camp for the night and travel the rest of the way in the morning."

"But Sir, there are dangerous creatures that come out at night in these parts." the older of the two pointed out.

"That is why I have my sword, now that is an order!" Thorin shouted frustrated

"If your father were here-"

"My father nor my grandfather are here, I am and I demand that you follow my orders as you would theirs. Without question."

"Yes sir." The two said hesitantly.

Once the two had disappeared from his vision Thorin turned his attention to his leg. He placed his hands on either side of his knee, nothing seemed to be twisted or broken which he was thankful for. He took a deep breath and pulled himself up to his feet, the pain in his leg was cringe worthy but he would have to manage. He looked up at the rocky hillside with distain, he didn't think that he could make it up there alone. Perhaps if he followed the ridge line he would come across an easier pass. As he hobbled along he noticed that the sky above him was already darkening. Thorin silently cursed his bad luck, no doubt his father and grand-father would hear of this when they returned. He was sure he would never hear the end of this one.

As time went on it became harder and harder to see, he began stumbling more frequently. The pain in his leg had steadily grown worse over the past hour. In addition to that he had been hearing strange noises coming from just beyond his line of sight. More than anything, he wished he were back in his home where it was dry and warm instead of cold and wet. Just as he was about to give up for the night he saw a small flickering of light in the distance. Of course he had no idea whose fire it was or if they were friendly but with the dropping temperature it sure would be nice to be by a fire.

*O*

Abigail awoke to the sound of a twig snapping loudly right outside the boarders of her camp. In one swift movement she was on her feet, arrow drawn. She knew an animal would never come so close to a fire.

"Whose there?" Her eye's scanned the forest for movement.

"I don't mean you any harm." A distinctly male voice said

"Then you won't have a problem showing yourself." Abigail said slowly.

"I don't much fancy the thought of being shot with an arrow." The voice said.

"Tell you what, you come out and I'll put the bow down."

There was a moment of silence before a man came stumbling into the light. No, Abigail thought, not a man, a dwarf.

"Okay, I came out. Now you put the bow down?" He asked.

Quickly she brought the bow to an easy resting place by her side but continued to eye him carefully. Abigail noticed that he seemed to be favoring one of his legs.

"What's your name?" the dwarf hesitated "Oh come on, you snuck up on me in the middle of the night. I think the least you can do is tell me your name before I invite you to sit and rest at my camp fire."

"Balin, my name is Balin." He said finally.

"Well Balin, would you like to take a seat? I see you favoring your left leg, is it alright?"

Balin slowly lowered himself to the ground and let out a loud sigh. Abigail matched his movements although she kept her bow at her side.

"Its fine, I just…took a tumble off some rocks and landed funny, that's all."

"I'm assuming you were headed to Dale?"

"How did you know?" He asked surprised.

"Really, there's not a lot places to go here. So it stands to reason that you were either going to Dale or back to Erebor. I took a guess as to which."

"Yes, I was on my way to Dale." He confirmed.

As she watched him she took the time to note his features. He had a rather handsome face with a slightly hooked nose and bright blue eyes. He was dressed in fine clothing, a large diamond was framed in his belt along with a beautiful dwarfish sword. It was something no commoner would have but she didn't ask any questions.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"I wouldn't want to impose any more than I already have." He said

"Nonsense, I have more supplies then I strictly need."

From her bag she produced several strips of smoked meat which she cautiously handed to Balin. The dwarf hesitated for a second before gently taking meat from her.

"Thank you…?"

"Erulassë." She said.

"Erul…" He tried

"But you may call me Abigail if it suits you better." She said with a smile.

"Yes, I think Abigail is much more manageable." Balin said with a small laugh.

There were a few moments of silence when Balin dug into the meat with a fierceness only a dwarf could manage. Abigail simply watched, she was intrigued by him, after all he was the first dwarf she had seen up close. Of course she was still weary of him, she had heard tales from Dale of dwarfish greed but as she looked into Balin's face she began to doubt the stories.

"You're staring." Balin said not bothering to look at her.

"Oh, I…" Abigail's face turned a lighter shade of pink "my apologies, it's just…I've never seen a dwarf up close before. I find you interesting."

He made a grunting noise as if the statement made him uncomfortable.

"So what's an Elf like yourself doing out here? You're a long way from Mirkwood." He changed the subject.

Abigail's jaw clenched at the mere mention of that accursed place. Unwanted memory's fought their way through her mind, memory's which she had long since tried to forget.

"I don't live in Mirkwood." She said sharply.

The dwarf's eyes widened in surprise at her harsh reaction to his question. There was an awkward silence between the two of them before Abigail threw him a blanket.

"You can sleep here tonight. There are wild animals that roam the land at night so I won't throw you out but you should know, if you make any move that I find threatening I will kill you."

As soon as she flipped away from him onto her side. Abigail heard Balin hesitate for a moment before he laid down too. For the longest time she just laid there listening intently for the sounds of his breathing. Although she didn't get the feeling that he would attack her in the middle of the night his presents still made her uneasy. Finally his breath even out into a pattern of sleep. Not long after that Abigail followed suit.  
_________________________________________________________________________________

Hope you guys like the story so far. I'm not sure how many chapters it will take for us to get to the movie/book time frame though. Please let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions on anything you can let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning when Abigail awoke she was alone at her camp. The blanket she had given to Balin was folded neatly where he had been sleeping. She sat up and took stock of her supplies, nothing was missing thankfully. Abigail shrugged her shoulders and went about putting out her fire and packing her things. After much deliberation she decided to retrace her steps in order to check the traps she had set yesterday but just as she was about to leave the camp, she noticed something. Tracks. Abigail knew they had to be Balin’s, however they were headed the wrong direction. Dale was south and Erebor was north, these tracks lead west. For a few moments she struggled to figure out what to do. On the one hand it wasn’t her responsibility to help him find his way, on the other hand he was injured. Abigail thought of her mother who would have been appalled that she had even thought of not helping someone in need. She expelled a breath which she didn’t know she’d been holding and set off west at a swift pace.

It was easy enough to follow the large tramping footsteps of the dwarf, he seemed to have no regard for the forest or its game. About half an hour later she heard the distant footsteps of her prey. When she finally caught up to him she could hear a string of dwarfish curses coming from him, evidently the pain in his leg had worsened.

“Balin?” called Abigail.

The dwarf spun around with his large sword drawn and ready.

“Abigail?” 

The disbelief in his voice almost made Abigail smile.

“Did you follow me?” Balin asked.

“I followed your tracks yes.” She said simply “I felt as though I should tell you, you’re going the wrong way. Dale is that way.” she pointed in the right direction.

The dwarf’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he cleared his throat awkwardly and sheathed his sword. 

“Well, thank you.” He said 

“You’re welcome. How’s your leg?” She asked.

“It…it hurts.” Said Balin reluctantly “but I’ll live.”

There was a moment of silence where the two didn’t know what to say next.

“Perhaps I could take you there myself?” She said at last “My brother lives there and I have been meaning to go and see him and his family.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” He said “You’ve done me enough favors in the past few hours.”

“Luckily for you, you don’t have to ask.” Abigail gave him a smile to let him know he needn’t feel guilty.

“Led the way then.” Said Balin, seemingly eager to get under way.

*O*

Thorin followed silently, or as silently as a dwarf with a hurt leg could, behind the elf as she set off in the direction she had pointed out earlier. Admittedly the dwarfish prince was a bit embarrassed to have set off in the wrong direction. It was very unbecoming of someone of his stature to have to be rescued by a run of the mill hunter, especially an elfish girl. However, it was apparent to him that she was no ordinary elf, for although she did bare the pointed ears of an elf, her face lacked the harsh, sharp features that were common to her race. The slight roundness of her face and the warm brown eye’s together with her unfavorable reaction to his question regarding Mirkwood, forced him to come to the conclusion that she wasn’t fully an elf. Not that this bothered him much, he had never been comfortable around the elves that came to visit Erebor. They were much too uptight and seemingly perfect. 

“So, you said your brother lives in Dale, does that mean you don’t?” Asked a curious Thorin sometime later.

“That is correct,” She confirmed, glancing back at him “I live in a cabin to the east of here with my mother.”

“So that’s why you were out here hunting? You’re the provider for your mother?” He ventured to question further.

“Yes, is that hard to believe?” Asked Abigail, a small smirk gracing her lips.

“No,” Thorin replied hastily “no, I’ve seen the way you can handle a bow, it’s just…a bit unusual.”

Abigail let out a snort. Thorin’s lips twitched upward into a smirk of his own, the action seemed a very un-elfish thing to do.

“So, Balin, you’ve asked me several questions, maybe you could answer me one?” asked Abigail, slowing her pace a bit to walk side by side with the dwarf.

“Seems only fair,” He said “I will answer to the best of my ability.”

“Why did you leave Erebor? I know, or at least I have been told, that most dwarfs don’t like the outside world too much.”

Thorin paused for a minute to gather his thoughts before answering. Of course he couldn’t tell her he felt stifled because of the pressure being a prince, but he also didn’t want to lie to her completely

“I’ve lived in Erebor all my life, I guess I was just curious.”

“And after everything that’s happened?” Abigail pressed.

“I still find it an intriguing place, although it severely lacks in precious jewels.”

Abigail let out a laugh, it was a soft delicate sound, one that he didn’t find himself minding too much.

“So you’ve had the pleasure of seeing my world, would you tell me more about yours?”

After that they settled into a relatively easy conversation about Erebor and its people. However, in the back of his mind Thorin had a nagging guilt about telling her a false name. For a moment he pondered telling her his true name, after all what harm could it do? In the end though, he decided it would be best for everyone if he just kept quiet. Besides, he kind of liked having someone talk to him freely, and without fear.

*O*

“It’s just past these trees, I promise.” Abigail tried to reassure the dwarf.

Over the past hour the pain in Balin’s leg had worsened. Of course at first he had tried with all his might to hide it, putting on a straight face when his leg would suddenly give out but when Abigail finally confronted him about it he begrudgingly allowed her to help him.

So it was that the two emerged from the tree line, Abigail’s arm wrapped around his upper torso, and his arm slung around her hip. Luckily for them Abigail was considered a few inches shorter than normal and Balin a few inches taller, although there was still a significant height difference. Suddenly there was a tug at her side, when she turned to see what was wrong she smiled. Balin stood staring in shock at the city of Dale. 

“It’s beautiful.” was the only thing Balin could manage.

“Yes, it is and I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to stand and admire its beauty but right now I think we need to get you to my brother’s home.” Abigail said rather impatiently.

“Your brothers home?” Balin asked as they began moving again.

“Indeed, his wife Catherine is quite a healer, she’ll have you back on your feet with no pain in no time.” She said

The thought of no pain must have given the dwarf some kind of motivation because he moved much quicker after that. Once they got through the gates of Dale it was a fast and easy trip to her brother’s home. Abigail knocked on his door and a moment later a man with messy blond hair answered. He looked surprised but happy to see her all the same. 

“Hello Adam.” Abigail said “Uh, is Catherine here?”

Adam finally seemed to notice that she wasn’t alone. To say he looked surprised to see a dwarf attached to his sisters side was a gross understatement. 

“O-oh, she’s at the market but she should be back soon. Come in, come in.” 

Abigail could not help but grin at her brothers stuttering voice.

“Adam this is Balin, Balin this is my brother Adam.” Abigail said as she led him to sit in a chair.

“A pleasure to meet you.” said Balin once he was sitting.

Abigail let out a sigh of relief, even with the dwarf’s small size his weigh was that of a regular man’s. Just then there was a knock at the door and Catherine came in. She handled the appearance of the dwarf with much more grace than Adam had. Catherine was a beautiful woman with Caramel colored hair and a tall slender figure. Here kindness was known throughout the city, so she was used to coming home to strangers who needed her help.

“Hello Abigail, Adam, who’s your friend?”

“This is Balin, I brought him here to ask you to take a look at his leg. It’s been giving him fits.” explained Abigail.

“Of course.” She set down her things and put a kettle full of water onto the fire “Balin would you do me a favor and roll up your pants leg?”

Abigail stood back as her sister-in-law worked her magic. Soon Adam came to stand by her.

“How did you come upon a dwarf?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“To be honest, we didn’t met in the best of ways, but he needed my help getting to Dale and I obliged.”

“He didn’t hurt you did he?” Adam asked anxiously.

“Calm down Adam, you know I can handle myself.” She dismissed.

“Yeah, but I’m your older brother and I have a right to worry.” He said smiling softly.

Before Abigail could retort Catherine cleared her throat.

“The inflammation was bad but I’ve wrapped it tightly and given him an herbal tea to bring it down. It would be best if he could rest it for a few hours but he has told me he has things he wishes to do.”

“Thank you Catherine.” Abigail left her brothers side to come to sit on the foot rest in front of Balin.

“So, what’s your plan now?”

“I came here to explore the city and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time for that, you really should rest a little.” She said.

“But that’s it, I won’t have time. I have to leave for Erebor before tonight which only leaves a few hours.”

After a quick pause Abigail smiled at him.

“Then we better get started.”


	3. Chapter 3

The market was a fury of activity, there had to be hundreds of people there today. The street venders screamed a proclamation to everyone who pasted that their wears were the best to be had in Dale and if one walked too close a shop the vender would shove their wears in your face. It seemed to Thorin that everything anyone could imagine could be found here, from silks to fish, he even found several venders that sold some of his peoples own work. Just being there for a few minutes made Thorin feel more closed in than the deepest cavern in Erebor. As his eye’s wildly roamed the streets he failed to see that Abigail had stopped moving. He bumped into her softly but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Have you ever had chocolate?” Abigail asked over the roaring crowd.

“Chocolate?” he said slowly “What is that?”

Instead of answering his question Abigail disappeared into a shop, returning a few minutes later with two small parcels. She led him down an unmarked ally way which opened up to the docks. It was a nice change of pace, the docks were almost deserted. Abigail sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the water and motioned for him to do the same. Secretly he was thankful for the reprieve from the busy market streets, he wondered if she had noticed his unease. 

“This,” she handed him a parcel “is chocolate.”

Carefully he opened it to reveal a small brown colored square.

“And…you’re supposed to eat this?” He asked suspiciously.

“You make it sound as if I have plans to poison you. What’s the matter Balin? Are you afraid?” Abigail taunted him playfully.

Although the words were meant as a jest it struck at his pride just as she no doubt knew it would. So, without further hesitation he placed the square in his mouth and chewed. It was sweet, very sweet, it would have been too much if not for the slight bitterness that followed. Thorin noticed that Abigail watched with something akin to anxiousness, as if his decision as to whether or not he liked it meant a lot to her.

“I don’t know,” he said skeptically “dwarfs don’t usually do sweet things. We prefer a more hearty diet.”

“So, you don’t like it.” She said disappointed.

“No,” He paused cruelly for a moment then added “I did.”

Abigail scowled at him for his trick, Thorin couldn’t help but smirk back at her. Then she suddenly moved on to a different topic of conversation.

“So why do you have to be back at Erebor by tonight?” She asked curiously “Is there something interesting going on?”

“Nothing so interesting,” he grimaced “it’s the time my father set for me to be back at home.”

“I thought dwarves were supposed to be independent and stubborn.” 

“Oh, we are, but trust me when I say my father is not a man you want to disobey.” He said remembering the few time’s that he had tried to disobey, it hadn’t worked out very well for him.

“Sounds like my father,” She said with a smile “he had this look, a look that would make even you quake in your boots.”

“Had?” Thorin questioned in a soft tone.

“He died some years back in a scouting trip far south of here.” Abigail’s eyes went distant for a minute in remembrance.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag out painful memories.” Thorin averted his eyes in guilt.

He felt a light touch on his knee and looked up to meet her brown eyes.

“It’s alright,” she smiled wistfully “it is good to remember the ones you’ve loved.”

Thorin remained silent for a moment for Abigail to regain her thoughts. Suddenly she stood up and offered her hand to him.

“I’ve still got a lot I would like to show you if you’re up for it.” 

“Of course I am.”

But suddenly, before he could take her hand, a figure came barreling out of the ally way, heading straight at Abigail. 

*O*

Abigail heard the man before she saw him, acting off instinct she dove out of the way. When she saw him she was surprised to find it was another dwarf, this one looked much older than Balin. She was even more surprised when he turned to face her brandishing a nasty looking sword, and he was coming after her with it.

“You will not hurt the prince Thorin!” he yelled savagely, charging forward.

Just before the dwarf could reach her Balin, who she had not noticed before, came to stand in front of her.

“Harond, stop this.” Balin’s voice had changed to one of thunder and ice. 

“But prince,” the dwarf said looking confused “she was attacking you.”

“She was doing no such thing. This woman has been a friend of mine and I will have you treat her with respect.” He said.

Abigail stood rooted in spot, her mind reeling with thoughts.

“Balin, what’s going on?” she asked, her voice tight with adrenaline.

“My prince there is something I must tell you.” Harond said urgently, ignoring her question.

“Wait.” Balin ordered the dwarf then turned to Abigail with a pained expression.

“Why does he call you prince Thorin?” She questioned slowly

“Because, my name is Thorin. Not Balin as I have told you.”

“So…you lied to me.” She said taking a step back from him.

“I supplied you with a false name yes, but that is all I swear it.” The dwarf said raising his palms to the air in a sign of peace.

“Prince Thorin there was an ambush.” At this Thorin turned to face Harond “Garim is dead.”

“Who did this?”

“Orc’s sir, at the top of the pass, I managed to break away but they followed me for a good long while. I have no doubt that they are waiting for you somewhere close by. We must get you back to the mountain.” He said.

“Well, you obviously can’t go back the same way you came.” Abigail piped up after a moment.

Both dwarves turned to look at her with surprise.

“But that is the fastest way back to Erebor.” The guard said.

“Perhaps so, but it won’t matter if you don’t make it back to Erebor in one piece.” She said sarcastically.

“We don’t know the land well enough for that.” Harond argued.

“I could show you.” volunteered Abigail impulsively.

Thorin stared at her as if she had two head instead of one. In fact now that the words were out she wasn’t sure why she’d said them. She was still angry that he had lied to her wasn’t she? Of course she was but looking at him now she knew that it was a good possibility that the two of them would never make it back to Erebor without her help. Abigail was angry at him, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to die.

“No, absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.” Thorin said 

“It could be our best chance.” The guard pointed out

“No, I will not ask her to do that.”

“Then it’s a good thing you don’t have to ask.” as she said this it felt much different from the first time. 

The dwarf prince must have seen something in her eye’s because as much as he looked like he wanted to protest he remain silent.

“We can take the back road out of city, I doubt they’d be expecting that. Then we can circle around and take a path I know of.” She was already walking as she talking leaving the two dwarves to follow her.

*O*

Thorin and Harond follow silently behind the elf, Thorin felt awful for lying to her all this time. He really had been enjoying his time with her up until his guard had tried to kill her. Thorin tried to reason with himself that, at the time, it was the best thing for everyone, and perhaps it was but he doubted she would ever see it that way. The look in her eye’s had been of hurt and even betrayal, although he wasn’t sure why she was taking it quite so personal. It was just a name after all. Either way he had been surprised by the fact she had volunteered to show them a safer way to the mountain. He wondered what would happen then, if he would ever get to see her again or if they would simply part ways. Thorin was also a bit more than anxious to see his father and grandfather’s reaction to the whole situation.

“My prince?” Harond said bringing him out of his thoughts “If I may be as bold to ask what happened after we left you?”

Although it was a rather embarrassing story he decided to tell the guard everything. After he was finished Harond looked at him then ahead to Abigail, who was still ignoring them completely.

“It seems like Durin is smiling down on you.” He said finally

“What in the world make you say that?”

“Because if you hadn’t fallen when you did you might be dead, and if you hadn’t found her...well I don’t know, but it seems to me fate was at work.” He said.

Thorin glanced up to the figure they were following.

“Fate works in strange ways.” Thorin said at last.

“That it does.”

What the two dwarves couldn’t have known was that even though they had been talking in hushed tones, her overly sensitive ears had picked up every word of their conversation.


End file.
